My God wants me to be thankful

Ephesians 5:20 "Always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father"

Since this is Thanksgiving weekend, I thought talking about what characteristic God wants from us would be cool. And that would be thankfulness.

Tonight's church service my pastor also talked about the thankfulness of the heart. The passage that he taught on was Luke 17:11-19 about the 10 lepers that Jesus healed; 10 physically and 1 spiritually. That one leper that came back to thank Jesus for healing him. I'm sure the other 9 were thankful that they were cured from the disease, but this one leper made a huge difference. That really stuck out to me tonight.
So often I will ask God for something; I might be praying for it for 10 months or a year. And when I get what I wanted, I forget to thank God. My pastor said that if we ask God for something, no matter how long we ask for it, our thankfulness back to Him should be everlasting. I don't thank God as much as I ask for things from Him.
There's so many things I could thank Him for in a couple seconds; 1) I have hands that I can use so I can type my blog :), 2) I can wake up in the morning and get out of bed, 3) I have parents who are there for me to say 'good morning' to me. (and 'I love you', my favorite :)) 4) A fridge for Thanksgiving left-overs. I could go on and on.

In everything give thanks!

Bri

Happy Birthday Braden!

HAPPY 11TH BIRTHDAY BRADEN!!!

Wow! It feels like yesterday dad was visiting you in Viet Nam just before you turned 3, and now you're 11! These 8 years have gone by way to fast!!! But it's been an unforgettable experience watching you grow. One of those 'experiences' was during your very first soccer game. It's a day I'm never going to forget; you scored the first goal with a huge grin on your face. Then the next, and the next .... lol Their team won 11-1. You always go out on field and give your all. I'm so proud of how well you're doing and I'm excited for your season to conclude in the spring so I can see you tear up the fields!

Besides your zeal for food that amazes me, your engineering and tinkering with all sorts of technical stuff is very helpful. When something's broken, all we have to do is tell you and you're working away at it. Last October our miniature Tv was broken because a video tape was stuck inside it by the film. It was really cool seeing you take it apart and putting it back together again. The video tape was out but the tv was ... done. We were still happy for you :)

Braden and I tend to get into 'cat-and-dog' fights the most. I know we get frustrated with each other but that will NEVER change anything. Life would be so boring without you and you're determined personality. I love you so much!!! Thanks for being an amazing, loving, (not to mention cute!! :) ) brother! I'm really thankful for our relationship and I hope it will continue in the future.

Love you Braden James Hien!!!

Bri

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!! Already I can smell my mom's baked cheesy potatoes Mmmmmmm ...... :)
I'm going to share with you a couple things I'm thankful for .....

Salvation. I'm so thankful that God sent His only Son to pay for all the sin I've committed in my life. He carried the cross for me, took the beatings, and the dying pain. His love was so deep for us. He did it all so we could live forever with Him.


Yes, I'm thankful for sports :) lol I love playing basketball, soccer, basketball, floor-hockey, oh yeah I almost forgot, and basketball. lol


Music is another think I'm very thankful for. Whether it's classical, hymns, praise and worship or Christian contemporary, I love to praise God with music. Psalm 135:3 Praise the LORD, for the LORD is good; Sing praises to His name, for it is lovely.


I'm also thankful for my friends. The ones that make me laugh, the ones that are crazy, the ones that love me for who I am, the ones that encourage me, and especially those that stick with me when it's not easy. Proverbs 17:17a A friend loves at all times


Last but not least, I'm thankful for the family God has blessed me with for nearly 16 years. My Dad and all the work he's done to support us, and he's always helping me with my basketball and giving me advice. My Mom has been my school teacher since kindergarten, I don't think any other teacher could love me as she does. She's more then a teacher though, an amazing ping-pong player! lol AND a wonderful mom :) Benjamin, who really knows how to make me laugh/smile. Braden, one of the smartest kids I know; if I ever have a question about engineering, he's the one I can ask. Lydia's singing is always music to my ears. It just makes me want to sing along right with her!

Hope you all have a blessed and memorable Thanksgiving!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Bri

The season has started!

It was a dark night as I heard the annoying buzzer sound in the small gym for the players to get ready to start the night. I stood there besides the bench, butterflies going wild in my stomach. As my team, coach and I huddled before the buzzer went off again, I quick said to myself, 'Ok God, this game is in your hands! Please help me to play my best for You!' (Seriously! I was praying almost the entire day, if that shows you how nervous I was.) Me, 4 of my teammates, and 5 of the other opponents went out to the center of the court to begin the game. TWEEEEEET! (lol) went the whistle, and the referee tossed the ball in the air for the tip-off.
haha ... ok, if you haven't caught on, I'm kinda dramatizing my first basketball game that occurred last Thursday (my first game of this season AND I was actually praying a good majority of the day!). It went very interesting and was quite intense during some parts. I had a total of 2 points .... and a total of 4 fouls ...... whoops; that's kinda not good!!! I was 1 short of fouling out of the game! AND my first 2 were literally in the first 90 seconds!!! That also wasn't good!! I had to sit out for the rest of the 1st quarter and half the second. My lesson from that experience is: don't play defense by reaching your hands out for the ball (very bad idea. lol) soooooo .... during halftime my dad said to me 'Use your feet!!!!!' (very good idea, which I already knew but forgot to apply. whoops again:) ) Anyway, to shorten it out, we won 35 to 31!! Yay!!
Hope you all have a blessed week!

Bri

Beautiful Beyond Description

You are beautiful beyond description
Too marvelous for words

Too wonderful for comprehension
Like nothing ever seen or heard








Who can grasp your infinite wisdom
Who can fathom the depths of your love

You are beautiful beyond description

Majesty, enthroned above

And I stand, I stand in awe of you

I stand, I stand in awe of you

Holy God to whom all praise is due

I stand in awe of you

Yes I stand in awe of you

I stand in awe of you

Bri

Rake-N-Run

Ok, like I said on Saturday, my youth group had a Rake-N-Run. What is a Rake-N-Run? Well, what our youth group has done for the past couple years is we go to the elderly people in our church and go rake their leaves for them, get back on the church bus, and go to another house!! At one house we were given donuts, so we obviously accepted them. lol We had gorgeous weather and a great turn-out. We hit about 4 houses and were at each for about an hour and a half each; or something like that.

Only one of our many piles of leaves. :)

Obviously we still managed to have fun at the same time. It took us like 5 takes to get this!!!

We would use tarps like this blue one to put the leaf piles on it then take them to a field an dump the leaves there.

Ahh .... leaf blowers; one of the best tools there :-)

Raking ....

Benjamin and Kyle

Ha, what do you know! More raking!! lol This was the last house.

Benjamin :D I think I know his older sister, but I'm not sure ....... lol

There you have it!! Obviously we all couldn't resist at times to jump into the leaves ;) What fun would it be not doing that!? lol

God bless y'all!

Bri

My God is light

John 8:12 "Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, 'I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.' "

God is the one that lights our paths and life. We would be so lost in worldly darkness if He didn't give us His word to light our ways. The Bible provides illumination to walk without stumbling. Just like it says in Psalm 119:105 "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path" He'll continue to lead us to the end.

Also, we don't need to be afraid of the darkness in the world. We can use the Bible to comfort us. Whenever I'm in a 'dark' situation I quote Bible verses to myself and feel God's presence light the way. Psalm 27:1 states: "The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the defense of my life; Whom shall I dread?"

His light will lead us to redemption and out of condemnation.

Bri

Tagged ...

There seems to be a series of tags going around .... I love reading them on other peoples blogs. Sometimes I crack up reading them.
I was sort of tagged by Josh. Thanks you Josh!! (I think .... lol)

1) Do you like to write?
Uhhh .... sometimes. I like to write my blog.

2) Favorite books?
I have waaaaaaaaay to many!!! lol

3) Do you compose music/write songs?
Well .... I write songs about what's on my mind but I never finish them!! lol
And I'm learning to improvise

4) Do you like poetry?
I never really read it a lot

5) Love someone so much it made you cry?
Yes. GOD!!! He's so amazing and changed my life when I was 8
I get emotional sometimes when I listen to "I'm deep in love with you" by Michael W. Smith. That's one of my top favorite songs!

6) Broken a bone?
Surprisingly, no. But I've twisted/sprained my ankle like 2-3 times :D

7) Been in a police car?
ha, yes!!! Don't worry, I wasn't arrested ....

8) Been on a boat?
Oh yeah, a lot!

9) Fallen asleep in school?
Not that I'm aware of ...

10) Did you sing today?
Yes, while I raked leaves with my friends :)

11) KFC, Popeyes, or Church's?
I would say have to say none.
What in the world is Church's????? Never heard of it before!!
Also, Popeyes is a strange name ... lol

12) Chick-fil-a or What-a-burger?
Neither

13) Starbucks or McCafe?
Ugh!! I hate coffee! But probably Starbucks?

14) What is your favorite time of year?
Right now!

15) Do you ever talk to yourself?
Oh yes!! like 24/7!! I have so many random conversations with myself!! lol You'd be surprised what myself and I find to talk about! lol

16) Do you have a favorite treat you like to buy on occasion?
Only if I really need it ..... CHOCOLATE!!!! Especially dark chocolate :D I LOVE CHOCOLATE!! lol But I never really go out and buy it.

17) Do you believe the Bible is the literal word of God and infallible?
Absolutely without question not doubt about it!!! In other words; yes!!

18) What's you favorite sport?
I like Basketball, hockey, soccer, and sometimes football

19) What color is your iPod?
I don't have an iPod; I have a brain to memorize songs :D

20) If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?
Tough question; I would have to say ..... boy, I really don't know!!! I've already been to Africa which was AMAZING!!! I would have to say either England, Viet Nam, or South America

21) If you could go to any fictional place, where would you go?
Narnia!!! lol

22) Do you love to write, or do you just like writing? Or do you write at all?
OK, I don't really like writing for school. I like to write songs about what's on my mind, life, God, etc.

23) What do you want to be when you grow up?
Whatever is God's plan for me. I have a big heart for missions so I'd like to be a missionary or something like that

24)Favorite animal?
Otters!!! They're so cute!!

25) Favorite song?
'Deep in Love with you', 'My soul finds rest', 'A new Hallelujah', and about 100 more!!

26) Do you like school?
It really depends on the subject and my mood.

27) Are you a people person?
Yes definitely!!! I love people!! People make me happy!!

28) Do you like to talk?
You should ask my friends that question .... lol

29) Favorite food?
CHOCOLATE!!!! lol

30) Hobbies?
Acting, sports, youth group, music, blogging,
wait, isn't this in my profile? lol

31) Favorite author?
I have way to many!!

32) Favorite weapon?
The Sword (Bible)

33) Is this a fun tag, or are you getting bored?
It's quite fun actually :D

34) Do you like Hannah Montana and all those other girly people and movies like High School Musical?
I'd have to say no. I like the Chronicles of Narnia

35) What are you scared of?
Ha, I have a very, ... wild run-away imagination!!! So I can kinda scare myself pretty easily!! You'd be surprised with how my mind wanders!

36) Favorite flower?
There are so many beautiful ones in God's gorgeous creation!

37) What is the expression on your face?
Right now, solemn, oh wait, now I'm laughing!!!! lol

38) Color of your eyes?
Hazel/green



There ya go!!! 38 more facts about me!! Hopefully I didn't bore you.


Also, I had a Rake-N-Run with my youth group today. It was awesome and went really well!! The weather was perfect for raking leaves! I took A LOT of pictures!! Oh yes!!! I found my camera!!!! I probably took around 200 pictures; don't panic I'm not gonna post all of them! Once I load them on the computer I'll post them.

Hope you're all having a great weekend!!

Bri

Blogger Award

I've been awarded by Jenna with the "Favorite Blog" award. Thanks Jenna!!

1) Do a post about the person who awarded you and their blog
2) Give the award to a couple of your favorite blogs
3)Answer the 10 random questions
4) Have fun!!!


A) Jenna is an amazing, young godly lady and is like a sister to me :) She loves the barn, animals, her family, and most of all, God!! Oh yes .... and babies ;) She really inspires me and I love her a lot!!
I love her blog cause I like hearing about her farm life :) I love visiting their farm :) Also, I always enjoy the pictures of her mouth-watering recipes :) And I like reading about her faith in God.
B) I award this award to ....

Josh @ http://www.while-imwaiting.blogspot.com/
Emii @ http://www.girlz4godrok.blogspot.com/



I) Have you ever ridden an elephant? No .... but my parents and brother have; they said it was really bumpy :D

II) Have you ever eaten squid? *gag* nope. and i never intend too :)

III) What is something crazy you have done with your best friend?? ha ha ha .... trust me, you don't want to know ;) I have a few best friends; One of the 'crazy things' I've done is go on the tallest roller coaster with my friends Allison; The Top Thrill Dragster!! 420 ft. tall, 120 miles an hour, 17 seconds long, 90 degrees straight up and down, ahh .... it was a blast :D One of the most thrilling times in my life!!! lol

IV) Have you ever held an alligator? Sadly ..... no :( I hope to someday :D But I have held a python

V) Have you ever let a snake slither through your fingers? lol look at the question above :)

VI) What is your first and foremost dream in life? I have a couple .... To honor God. And maybe get married and have an amazing family!!

VII) What is your dream vacation? Either Arizona or New Zealand

VIII) What is the funniest movie you have ever seen? Ice Age 3

IX) What is your favorite song? Don't ask me that question!!! lol umm.... probably "Healing Rain" or "My Soul Finds Rest"

X) If you could change the world in one way, what would you do? Get rid of abortion


Well there you go!! 10 random facts about me.

Bri

My God is merciful

Titus 3:5 'He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit'

Did we deserve salvation? No. There was nothing we could've done that would make us perfect. We were condemned to death and be separated from God forever!

But God showed unconditional love for us and gave mercy. How often do we get wronged by someone and have anger instead of mercy? In Matthew 18:20-21 it says: "Then Peter came and said to Him, 'Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?' Jesus said to him, 'I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven'

If God didn't show mercy, we would be on our way to the lake of fire. We take His mercy for granted and don't think what would happen if he didn't have compassion on us.

David thanks God for His wonderful mercy in Psalm 145:8 'The Lord is gracious and merciful; slow to anger and great in lovingkindness.'

Our God is a God of mercy!

Remember Gods mercy this week!

Bri